Tabs

Thursday, February 23, 2012

A Must Read Post

I have been following his blog for awhile now and really love what he puts out there. I thought his post on his exercise routine was excellent and falls in line with my kind of workouts. Easy, little to no equipment, and can be done basically anywhere, anytime, in any type of clothing. Yes, I have been known to be fully dressed for Church and drop down to do a set of planks or push ups before heading out the door. My kids think I am insane. My friends know I am.

Thank you, Kyle, for allowing me to hijack your post! Keep up the great work!

Strength Exercises I Recommend and Perform

Here is a run down of my favorite exercises. They are super minimalist
in nature. I prefer workouts that can be done with as little amount of
equipment as possible, and these all utilize body weight. All of these
are great options for a runner, cyclist, or any endurance athlete
looking to improve their core and overall strength. They are extremely
functional and easy to perform.

The ones that generally lead to soreness the next day are jumping squats
and kickbacks. I try to plan heavy strength training on the same day as
my long runs or key workouts. This is because most of the times after a
long run the next day or two are super easy. This allows full recovery
from the long run and the strength work. What I have done during my long
runs is at every mile interval, stop running and do 100 of one of
these. Save the squat jumps for the end though ;) If I do not do this I
may do 5 or all of these after the long run at 100 reps.

Tuck JumpsJump and bring your knees up in mid air

Jump RopeThis is my favorite running drill. If you want to show someone how
they should land while running, have them jump rope barefoot. Try
jumping rope and heal striking or jumping rope and landing too far
forward on your foot. Ideally, you should land on your midfoot or almost
flat footed, and quickly spring back up.

Kick BacksGood quick workout for your hams and glutes.

Forward and Side LungesStrengthens your butt, hips, thighs, quads, etc. all round good
workout. Be sure to not let your leading knee to over your foot.

WhatchamucallitI get into a pushup position and move the legs to the sides.

Mountain ClimberGreat for your hip flexors and core.

Plank Leg LiftsSide, front, and back planks and just lift the leg. Good all round workout

Pushup

Sit-ups

SquatsYou can add in jumps or make them one legged for a greater workout

SupermanMakes for a good back workout

Hills and TrailsThese are actually the two best workouts you can do. I prefer hills
for my strength and speed work since you have to put out more power
while running up a hill, but they are very easy on your body compared to
the same exertion level on a flat road when doing speed work. Hills are
great for your core, hip flexors, back, and hell, everything else.

A trail run is great for working on your lateral movement and
stability muscles. Road running is very straight and repetitive. If you
go out on a flat 10 mile run on the pavement, your right foot takes the
same exact step 7000 times! Now do a 10 mile run on a trail such as
pictured below, no one footstep is exactly the same as the last.